


Grandparents’ Day

by things_that_matter



Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [56]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Brothers, Domestic Fluff, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Intimacy, M/M, Parenthood, School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-19 10:21:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29997906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/things_that_matter/pseuds/things_that_matter
Summary: It’s Grandparents’ Day at Ollie’s school. Where can they find a grandparent??
Relationships: Oliver/Elio Perlman
Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [56]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094873
Comments: 65
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will have a few chapters.

After a few weeks passed with no further incidents with Danny, and because Ollie had made some friends and was gaining confidence, Elio and Oliver agreed to let him resume riding the bus. Truthfully, though he would never say it out loud, Oliver wanted Ollie on the bus because Elio couldn’t get him to school on time for some unfathomable reason. Elio was the only person who remained apprehensive about it. The first day went perfectly, but the second day, Ollie didn’t want to go to school. 

“Please, don’t make me,” Ollie whined. 

Elio sighed. “You have to go, Ollie. If you want me to take you, I’ll take you, but you have to go.” 

“No!” Ollie huffed, crossing his arms and drawing his eyebrows down to form an angry V shape. Elio smiled at him then, which made him even more upset. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re just so cute,” Elio said while reaching over to pinch his cheek. 

“I’m NOT cute!” Ollie insisted. 

“You’re not?” Elio asked with mock confusion. 

“No! I’m not!” Ollie grumbled. “I’m mad!!” 

“Hi, Mad. I’m Elio. Grab Ollie’s backpack for him and let’s go,” Elio teased, but Ollie didn’t like that one bit. 

“Leave. Me. Alone. ELIO!” Ollie growled. Elio smiled again. He thought Ollie was adorable when he said _ELIO_ like that. His laugh was cut short though by Ollie stomping on his foot.

“OWWWW!” Elio yelped. He stared at Ollie as if he’d grown a third eye. “You hurt me, Ollie.” 

“You hurt me first!” Ollie complained. Elio could see that he felt bad for hurting him, though. 

“I did not hurt you. I have not laid a finger on you,” Elio said. Ollie often surprised him, but at times like this, he found the little boy downright perplexing. 

“Yeah, but when I’m telling you I’m upset and you smile about it, that hurts here,” Ollie said, pointing to his chest.

“Awwww, I’m sorry,” he said. He hooked an arm around Ollie, who was keeping his distance from a big brother who might want vengeance for the foot stomping. He pulled Ollie to him and gave him a one-armed hug, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. “I really am sorry. Forgive me?” 

Ollie nodded. “I’m sorry, too. I should not have stomped your foot.” 

“No, you definitely shouldn’t have. Truce?” Elio offered.

“Okay. Truce.” Ollie nodded, but he still looked sad. 

“Let me take you to school today, okay?” Elio suggested. He just wanted a few more minutes with his little brother. He felt like everything wasn’t okay. 

“Oliver told me I can ride the bus though.” Ollie looked alarmed at the notion of not riding. 

Elio nodded. “You can ride it if you really want to, but I want to talk later, okay?” 

Tears filled Ollie’s eyes.

“Not about you stepping on my foot. You’re not in trouble. I just want to talk. That’s all,” Elio explained. 

“Okay,” Ollie agreed. Just then they heard the squeal of the bus breaks. Elio was relieved to see a wide smile break across his face as he took off running for the bus. He was even more relieved when Ollie turned back after running a few feet. “Sorry, I forgot to hug you! Byeeee!” Ollie wrapped his arms tightly around Elio’s waist, tried to lift him, failed, and darted off for the bus, completely forgetting that he didn’t want to go. 

That night, Elio forgot all about his plan to talk with Ollie. He hadn’t even mentioned the morning’s drama to Oliver, and he usually told Oliver everything about his day. Ollie was in a good mood, so Elio simply didn’t think about it. 

The next morning, however, Oliver was leaving later than usual. He had a meeting that was taking the place of his first class, and the meeting started later than the class did. He walked into the kitchen just as Ollie was refusing to eat breakfast.  
“I’m NOT eating because I’m NOT going to SCHOOL!” Ollie yelled. 

“Ollie, please stop this, what is going on?” Elio begged. 

Ollie shoved his bowl hard, and it slid almost all the way off the other side if not for Elio using his hand as a bumper for it. 

Oliver placed a hand on Ollie’s shoulder, slid into the chair beside him, and pulled the bowl back over without saying a word. Ollie scowled at his oatmeal, carefully avoiding looking up at Oliver, or even Elio for that matter. 

Oliver picked up his spoon and handed it to him. To Elio he asked, “Does he act like this every morning?” 

Ollie took a bite of oatmeal. 

“No, not usually,” Elio answered. 

Oliver looked back at Ollie, but still addressing Elio said, “Because if he does, then I think I finally understand why you were getting him to school late so often.” 

Ollie took another bite of oatmeal. When Elio and Oliver started discussing him as if he weren’t in the room, it made him nervous. 

“No, he doesn’t. Just yesterday and today,” Elio said, sitting down across from Oliver and Ollie. “I was going to talk with him about it last night, but I forgot.” 

Ollie took another bite, flicking his eyes back and forth between Oliver and Elio, while keeping his head straight ahead, trying to look innocent. No one sounded angry, so that was good, Ollie figured. After he finished his oatmeal, Oliver gave him a long, thoughtful look. 

“Take care of your bowl and then brush your teeth. I’m taking you to school today,” Oliver said. 

Ollie’s mouth fell open. “But I get to ride the bus…” he began. 

Elio cringed, thinking Ollie was about to get himself into a world of trouble, but Oliver surprised him by mildly replying, “Sure, but I’m never home when you go to school. So I’m going to take you today.” 

This seemed agreeable to Ollie, so he took his bowl over to the sink and splashed some water in it before putting it in the dishwasher and running back to brush his teeth. Elio shook his head, rising to check the dishwasher. When he opened it, he started laughing. Oliver groaned from where he still sat at the table. “How bad is it?” he wanted to know. 

Elio opened the door to the dishwasher so Oliver could see the bowl, clumps of oatmeal still clinging on for dear life, sitting upright on top of the other dishes as if its entire joy in life would come in the form of preventing the rest of the dishes from getting clean. Oliver shook his head, then pressed his thumbs into his forehead. 

“Headache?” Elio asked while rinsing Ollie’s bowl and placing it back in the dishwasher correctly. “Or just an Ollieache?” 

Oliver shook his head, “Not an Ollieache. He’s just learning.” They’d just recently begun having him place his dishes in the dishwasher rather than in the sink, and he was trying hard, but hadn’t perfected it yet. 

Elio looked a little concerned then. He walked over to stand behind Oliver and placed his hands on his shoulders, kneading the tense muscles there. “Everything okay?” he asked. 

“Yes, just been having this headache the last few days. It’s been kind of relentless the last couple of days.”

Elio felt a chill, as if his bones were frozen. He was the worst partner. He hadn’t even noticed. He used his thumbs to apply some pressure to the nerves at the base of Oliver’s skull. Often his headaches came from that area. 

Oliver winced, and Elio stopped. “Too hard?” he asked. 

“No. It feels good. Thank you, Elio.” 

“I’m ready!” Ollie was back, smiling brightly. It was the smile he wore when he wanted them to notice his teeth.

Although he was feeling anxious about Oliver’s headache, Elio didn’t disappoint the child. He smiled and tousled his hair. “Look at those dazzling whites. You’re looking good, Ollie!” 

Oliver stood then, bent his neck to kiss Elio, and then took Ollie’s little hand in his. “Thanks for letting me take you to school,” Elio heard Oliver saying to Ollie as they were leaving, and it melted his heart. 

Once they were in the car, Oliver wasted little time before initiating a chat with Ollie, which was, of course, the real reason he wanted to take him to school. 

“So, Buddy, why didn’t you want to go to school today?” he asked. 

Ollie turned, looking out the window. 

“You’re not in trouble, we’re just talking.” 

Still looking out the window, Ollie sighed. Finally he said, “I can go today and tomorrow but I cannot go Friday.” 

“Okay,” Oliver said, thinking. “So why not Friday?” 

Ollie sighed. Then, as if it were insufficient, he sighed again, much more dramatically. 

“My school is doing a dumb thing.” 

“Okay,” Oliver said. “What dumb thing?” 

Ollie sighed three or four times in a row. 

“Ollie, you know that’s not how sighing works, right?” he smiled. 

“For me it does,” Ollie answered sensibly. 

“So, what is going on at school Friday?” 

“Grandparents’ Day,” Ollie complained. “It’s not fair because not everyone has grandparents or not everyone has grandparents who can go.”

Oliver nodded. “Well, what exactly is Grandparents’ Day?” 

“It’s a day for celebrating grandparents,” Ollie explained patiently. 

Oliver smiled slightly. “Right. But, what does it look like at school? Are grandparents coming for lunch or something?” 

Ollie nodded, “Yeah that’s all. They get to come eat with their grandkids in the cafeteria and all the kids who don’t have a grandparent have to eat in the classrooms. It’s not fair! Plus, we also had to write about what we like to do with our grandparents and I just had to lie about it. My teacher calls it fiction, but it’s basically just lies.” 

“That’s okay, Ollie.” Oliver had just about had it with Ollie’s school. He had been putting up with one irritation after another all year long. Now that he held legal guardianship of Ollie, along with Elio, the school would be lucky if they did not get an earful. In fact, just looking at the building irritated him as he pulled through the circle drive. “I love you, Ollie. We will figure out something. Maybe Elio or I can come.”

Ollie shook his head. “You are old, but you aren’t old enough to pass as a grandparent.” 

Oliver grinned. “I don’t mean to pass as a grandparent. And I’m not that old! I just thought one of us might go so you don’t have to eat in the classroom.” 

Ollie shook his head. “Oliver do you think your dad would come with me?” 

Oliver felt like he’d been punched in the chest. The headache that had plagued him all morning was suddenly unnoticeable. “Well, Ollie…” he began. 

“Can we just ask him?” Ollie asked, and something about the longing on the little boy’s face made Oliver say one of the stupidest things he’d ever said in his life. 

“We can _ask,_ but don’t get your hopes up, Ollie.” 

The smile that slowly brightened Ollie’s face then nearly broke Oliver’s heart, because he knew his father, and the last thing he wanted was for him to hurt Ollie the way he’d hurt him. In fact, it was now his life’s mission to keep that from happening. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is under a lot of pressure. Ollie wants to invite Oliver’s dad to Grandparents’ Day, which he knows is a terrible idea. Elio isn’t going to be happy when he finds out. And he still doesn’t know what’s causing his headaches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will have another chapter.

As he watched Ollie run up the sidewalk to join the other children waiting to go inside, Oliver couldn’t believe what he’d done. He watched the little boy laughing and talking with his friends, so happy to actually have friends, and he couldn't imagine how he was going to break it to him. Because Oliver knew that what Ollie had asked was not possible. Why hadn’t he just told him that when asked? 

As he drove to work, he felt sick. He glanced toward his phone several times, trying to decide whether to call his father or Elio. He hadn’t spoken to his father in years, not since the day his father made him choose between Elio and the family. And he had no urge to speak to him again. But he would for Ollie. If any good could come from it, he would. But it couldn’t. 

Just as he glanced at the phone again, wondering what to do, the phone rang, startling him. He pressed the button on his steering wheel. 

“Elio. Hey,” he said. 

“Hey. Did you get him dropped off?” Elio asked. 

Oliver laughed. 

“What’s funny?” Elio asked with a smile in his voice. 

“Just thinking about how much you didn’t like it when I called to see if you got Ollie dropped off,” Oliver said. 

“That’s different!” Elio said. 

“I know,” Oliver conceded. “And yes, I delivered him safely.” 

“Good. Did he tell you what was bothering him?” 

“Yes. And you’re going to be mad at me, Elio,” Oliver said.

Elio heard a melancholy in Oliver’s voice that he didn’t recognize. “What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Oliver sighed. “Can we talk about it at home?” he asked. 

“Oliver! Come on. I can’t wait all day. If you know what’s wrong with Ollie, tell me.”

Oliver said nothing, and Elio grew uneasy. 

“I’m not going to be mad. Not at you,” he promised. At the time, he meant it. He couldn’t imagine anything making him truly angry with Oliver. 

Oliver had meanwhile pulled into his parking spot at the university. He took a few deep breaths and decided the best way to handle it is to just say it. Quickly. Like pulling off a band-aid. “Friday is apparently Grandparents’ Day at his school and he doesn’t have grandparents, so he’s a little sad.” Oliver cursed himself for not getting out the most important part. So much for pulling off the band-aid. 

“Awww, that’s sad. I don’t understand why they do things like that. It’s hurtful,” Elio commented. Then he added, “Even if our parents hadn’t passed away, Ollie would still be excluded. He has never had grandparents alive.” 

“I know. Their heart is in the right place, I guess,” Oliver replied, again finding himself unable to tell Elio what happened. 

But then Elio asked, “Why would I be mad at you about his school doing something thoughtless though?” 

“Elio, I made a huge mistake with him.”

There was a long pause. But finally Elio said, “Well, I make mistakes with him every day. You’re the one who always tells me how resilient kids are and that he will be fine. I’m sure the same is true when it’s you who makes a mistake, right?” 

Oliver shook his head, though no one could see it. He glanced at the clock and realized he needed to get to class. He briefly considered postponing the conversation, but he needed to get it over with and Elio didn’t deserve to have to wait. “Elio, he asked me if we could invite my dad.” 

There was a sudden, sharp silence. 

“Elio?” 

“Tell me you didn’t,” was all Elio said. 

“I’m sorry, Elio. It caught me off guard….” Oliver tried to explain, but couldn’t find the words. “Elio? Elio?” 

Oliver couldn't believe that Elio would hang up on him. He must have lost signal, Oliver told himself. But when he dialed him back, it went straight to voicemail. He sighed, reached into the console for some Tylenol, and began the trek to his first class. Oliver never complained, but if he were a complainer, he probably would now. His head felt like it was in a vice grip. He was about to hurt the kid he was supposed to be taking care of and protecting, and the only person he’d ever loved was so angry that he’d hung up on him. 

After he taught his classes, he had to do office hours, which was his least favorite part of his job. Although he could use the time to grade, plan, and research, his primary purpose was to be available to students who wanted to talk. The problem was, the students who came to talk to him were never really there to talk. They only stopped by to explain why they didn’t do their work, failed their test, missed class, or are stuck on their research paper. Excuses, basically. So he sat at his desk, rubbing his temples, then rubbing his shoulders, trying not to think of what a mess he’d made. He was suddenly startled from his thoughts by one of his colleagues poking her head in abruptly. 

“Oliver, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” 

He hated questions like this, but he’d long learned that by trying to point out the other person’s rude question, it ends up making you look like the rude one. “I’m fine, thank you,” was his only answer. 

She pursed her lips, looking dubious. “Should I call Elio?” she asked next. 

While still pressing a thumb firmly to each temple, he lifted his eyes toward her. “No. I am fine. Thank you.” He could hear the coldness in his voice and felt bad. But she left. He’d apologize later. A few moments later, there was another interruption. This time, it was the head of the department. 

“You don’t look so great, Oliver. Why not go on home?” he asked. 

All the kindness seemed to make Oliver’s head hurt more rather than less. Before he could answer, his boss insisted, “Serious, go on. There’s some sort of rally at the student center, so you won’t be having anyone for office hours, anyway.” 

Finally, Oliver nodded. “Thanks, Jim. I’ll finish this and then I will take you up on that. This headache just won’t quit.” 

“Have you considered going to the doctor?” Jim wanted to know. It was a reasonable question. 

“I think it’s just situational. We have a lot going on.”

Jim looked concerned. “Is Elio okay? Ollie?” 

Oliver nodded. “Yes, we are all fine.” Deciding he would not be able to finish his task, he stood and began packing it into his bag. 

As he drove home, he dialed Elio again. He knew Elio would be in class, but he dialed anyway. Perhaps he wanted to hear Elio’s outgoing voicemail, perhaps he wanted to leave a message. He remained uncertain. 

“Hello?” Elio answered, sounding surprised. 

“Elio?” Oliver responded, sounding equally surprised. When Elio said nothing else, Oliver spoke again. “Are you okay? Why aren’t you in class?”

“I just didn’t feel like going,” Elio said, sounding about as mature as Ollie. 

“You didn’t _feel_ like _going_?” Oliver couldn’t process such nonsense. 

Elio sighed. Oliver regretted calling. 

They each sat with the phone to their ear, listening to silence. Finally, they spoke at once. 

“How’s your head?” “How’s Ollie?”  
They laughed then, mildly. They’d understood one another, so Oliver went first. 

“My head is fine. It was bothering me, so Jim let me go a little early. But I think it’s better, maybe.” 

“You should go to the doctor,” Elio said softly. 

“Maybe…” said Oliver. After another long pause during which no one uttered a sound, he asked again, “How’s Ollie?” 

“Well, he’s still at school.”

Oliver suddenly realized he had a death grip on the steering wheel. He made a conscious effort to loosen his fists, which were clenching it tightly. “Of course, that was stupid of me.” 

“No, it wasn’t. I didn’t mean it like that. I should have just said I don’t know.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Oliver said. “Are you at home?” 

“Yes,” Elio answered, reminding himself that he was an adult and did not have to explain himself. Oliver said nothing about it, anyway. 

When Oliver got home, he and Elio sat down to talk about what to do about Ollie. 

“I can’t believe you promised him…” Elio began.

“I didn’t promise him anything,” Oliver interrupted. 

“Well Oliver, he trusts us, so anything we say is a promise as far as he’s concerned,” Elio pointed out, and it was true. Oliver knew how true it was. 

“Just tell me what to do, Elio. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do.” 

Elio put his face in his hands, and Oliver wasn’t sure if he was upset, angry, tired… Please don’t let him be crying, Oliver thought. 

Fortunately, he wasn’t. Elio sat up and took a deep breath. “I mean, I guess there’s no way your dad would consider…” 

“No, Elio. No way.” 

“Okay, I was just asking.”

Oliver began pressing his thumbs against his eyelids, prompting Elio to retrieve more Tylenol. While Elio was in the kitchen, Oliver heard a familiar sound, and one he loved. Usually he’d go to the door to meet Ollie, but when he tried to stand, the room tilted beneath him, requiring him to sit back down on the sofa. Elio walked in with the Tylenol, and Oliver saw the concern register on his face as he rushed over to sit by him. 

“Oliver? Are you okay?” he asked, sitting the Tylenol tablets on the side table. “You don’t look so great.” 

Oliver shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Just then the door crashed open, and it sounded like there was a struggle occurring in the entryway. Elio and Oliver smiled at each other as they listened to the sound of Ollie dropping all of his school things on the floor just inside the door, right under Oliver’s ‘Put your things away” sign. Their smiles grew as they heard the small table sliding around this way and that.

“Ollie, just sit down and take them off!” Oliver called, laughing. 

Elio shook his head. “I’ll go help him,” he muttered.

“I almost got it! I don’t need help!!” came Ollie’s excited voice. 

Oliver shook his head, chuckling. Though he couldn’t see from his vantage point, he knew the exact moment the Elio came into Ollie’s line of sight because the little boy got both very excited and very annoyed at the same time. 

“ELIO!!!” he exclaimed. This was quickly followed by, “No, No, I can do it by MYSELF!” 

“Put your things away!” Oliver called from where he still sat on the sofa. 

Then Ollie was running to him and climbing up into his lap, waving a paper of some sort in his face. Oliver took the paper and gave Ollie a pointed look. “Did you put your things away?” 

“I will, I promise.” 

“No, go ahead and do it,” Oliver said as he started unfolding the paper Ollie had given him. 

“But…” 

Oliver lifted Ollie off of his lap. “No time like the present, go on.” 

Ollie gave him a sad, sulky look, which he ignored. Ollie then appealed to Elio with the same sad, sulky look, but Elio, too, ignored it. With an elaborate sigh, Ollie stomped off to put his things away. 

Oliver was by then looking carefully at the paper Ollie had given him. 

“What is it?” Elio wanted to know. 

“It’s an invitation he made for Grandparents day,” Oliver said, setting it on the coffee table with a sigh. 

Elio gave a matching sigh and reached over to pick it up. 

“Dear Oliver’s Dad, I know you’re not my real grandfather, but did you know Oliver is my legal guardian now? So I think that makes us something, too. Please come to have lunch with me at my school for Grandparent’s Day on Friday. It won’t be fun, but at least you could meet me and you might even like me a little bit. Love, Ollie.” 

Elio placed it back on the coffee table and looked toward Oliver, who was slouching down into the sofa with his eyes closed, shaking his head slightly. After a moment, Oliver opened his eyes, stood, pulled out his phone. When Ollie entered the room again, Oliver was walking out onto the deck carrying his phone and Ollie’s invitation. Ollie wanted to follow him out. He was accustomed to spending afternoons with Oliver. But Elio stopped him. 

“Let’s get you a snack, Ollie,” he said, standing and taking his little brother by the hand. 

“What’s wrong with Oliver?” Ollie wanted to know. 

“I think he wants to talk to his dad in private.” 

Ollie shook his head. “That’s not what I mean, though. I mean… what’s wrong with his head?” 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Though Oliver didn’t approve, the invitation was extended. How will his father RSVP?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with this longer story. Usually when I edit, I cut words. But this story actually expanded when I began reworking it. Maybe I can finish in one more.

“Ollie, I told you to stop. That’s rude,” Elio’s rebuke wasn’t loud, but it was somewhat harsh. At least Ollie thought so. He balled his hands into little fists, knowing that Elio was about to try to take his hand in order to pull him away from the door. But he only wanted to watch through the glass. And _maybe_ put his ear up to the glass only if no one is looking. It’s not as if he’s going to put his ear to the door in an obvious way. So thus, it’s not rude. And Ollie was _trying_ to explain this to Elio, but Elio just grabbed his wrist and tugged him away as if he didn’t even notice Ollie’s complete lack of hands. 

When Elio had successfully pulled him into his bedroom, Ollie suddenly noticed the look on his brother’s face. It wasn’t a particularly friendly look. Ollie began to rub his wrist, though it didn’t hurt in the least. “You hurt me,” he whined.

“I did not,” Elio said simply. 

“Well you _could_ have hurt me,” Ollie pointed out. To avoid Elio’s harsh gaze, Ollie began inspecting his wrist for red marks, but of course there were none. He sighed, disappointed. 

Before the conversation went any further, they both heard the back door sliding open, followed by Oliver’s heavy footsteps. Elio dropped his angry glare, Ollie noticed. This should have made Ollie happy, but it didn’t. Because the look that fell over his big brother’s face next was even worse. It was a look of worry, and Ollie didn’t like it when Elio was worried. Elio didn’t worry very often, so if Elio was worried then Ollie knew he needed to worry, too. And Ollie was very good at worrying.

“What’s wrong?” Elio asked.

“I’m worried,” Ollie whispered. 

“Why?” Elio asked. 

“Because you are,” Ollie whispered. 

Elio offered him a half smile. “I’m not worried,” he said, but Ollie knew what worried Elio looked like and he was worried. Ollie was about to tell Elio that it’s wrong to lie, but before he could say it, Elio was speaking again. “Ollie, I need to go check on Oliver. Will you stay here?” 

Ollie’s eyes grew so large, they gave the impression of two full moons floating beneath his eyebrows. “Nuh uh,” he said urgently, while also shaking his head for emphasis. 

Elio’s voice became a bit firmer. “You stay here for a minute. I’ll be right back.” Before Ollie could offer further objection, Elio was out the door. Just as he was feeling quite pleased with himself for handling the situation with so much authority, he heard Ollie’s little footsteps chasing him down the hall. Elio rolled his eyes. So much for that. 

They found Oliver easily enough. He was in the study. Their house was small, so it was easy to find anyone unless they were deliberately hiding which, just ask Ollie, is not allowed. 

Elio rapped on the door twice while also looking down and offering Ollie a very displeased look. “I told you to stay in your room,” he whispered. 

“I know,” Ollie whispered. 

Elio rolled his eyes again. 

“Come in,” Oliver called. When Elio opened the door, Oliver smiled at him. “You don’t have to knock.”

Ollie stood back for a moment, but when he was certain that he wouldn't be struck by lightning for disobeying Elio, he ran over to Oliver and hugged him. Oliver lifted him up onto his lap and kissed his cheek. “Ollie, I don’t think it’s going to work out.” Oliver’s voice was sad. 

Ollie’s eyes filled with tears, and Oliver hated himself entirely. “I’m so sorry, Ollie. He’s just really busy and…” 

Ollie shook his head. “It’s okay,” he said, but the tears swimming in his eyes and the quiver in his voice told a different story. “How is your head?” Ollie asked as he reached up and touched Oliver’s temple with his finger, reminding Oliver somewhat of ET.

“I’m fine,” Oliver said.

Ollie gave him a dubious look. 

“What?” Oliver asked with a laugh. 

Ollie sometimes reminded Oliver of claymation. With the slightest lowering of an eyebrow, the tiniest rotation of his chin to the left, and Ollie was suddenly giving him what he would have sworn was his own displeased expression.

“I just don’t think it’s fair,” Ollie said. Oliver chuckled. He didn’t know where Ollie was going, but he couldn’t help but laugh at his serious demeanor. When Elio did this, it made Ollie angry. But for some reason, Oliver could get away with it. 

“What’s not fair?” Oliver asked the obvious question. 

“You and Elio get to lie, lie, lie whenever you want, but I don’t,” Ollie explained. Again, like claymation, Ollie’s shoulders traveled up towards his ears, his head tipped just slightly to the side, and that was his, “Am I right, or am I right?” look. 

In his peripheral vision, Oliver saw Elio’s chin lower, his mouth standing open, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

“What?!” Oliver placed his hand over his heart as if Ollie’s words had truly wounded him, which made Ollie laugh. “When do Elio or I lie?” 

“You lied just now and Elio lied like five minutes ago.” 

Elio’s jaw dropped even more. “What?!” Elio muttered. 

Ollie just shrugged. “You did, Elio! You said you weren’t worried, but you are. And you,” Ollie poked Oliver’s nose with his finger, which Oliver quickly grabbed, making Ollie laugh again. “You said you’re fine and you’re not.”

Elio and Oliver looked at one another with hesitant smiles on their faces. Neither of them knew how to explain such discrepancies. 

It was a quiet night for the family. Ollie completed his homework without help. Elio made dinner so Oliver could lie down. Oliver ended up having to assist, but he appreciated the effort. After they ate, they watched television. This was especially exciting for Ollie because it wasn’t even TV night. It was board game night, but Oliver was lying down. So when Ollie turned his puppy dog eyes toward his older brother, Elio didn’t stand a chance. 

Oliver lay in bed, listening to the television noise wafting in from down the hallway. He felt guilty. He should get up and go spend some time with Elio and Ollie, but his head was throbbing. Just then, he felt a familiar weight settle onto the bed behind him. Without opening his eyes, he smiled. Elio wrapped his arms around him, though they usually lay the other way, with his arms around Elio. Tonight, he needed to be the one to be held and he guessed that Elio must have known that. He felt Elio’s lips brush across the skin behind his ear, and he sighed contentedly. 

“I love you,” Elio whispered.

“I love you, too,” Oliver answered. “Where’s Ollie?” 

“Getting ready for bed,” Elio answered. Then he added, “And you have to go to the doctor.”

“I know,” Oliver agreed. 

“Have you ever had headaches like this before?” Elio wanted to know. He didn’t think Oliver had, or surely he would know about them.

Oliver shook his head in reply, but then winced. “Not bad like this,” he replied instead. 

“Let’s stay home tomorrow, okay?” Elio suggested, feeling tearful himself. It was hard to watch someone you love suffer, especially when that person is the backbone of the family. They couldn’t make it without Oliver. The few times he was away on work trips, their house felt more like a treehouse or a train car, someplace only suitable for a child, and yet not at all suitable for a child. 

Oliver nodded, which shocked Elio. He’d expected him to put up a fight. He must be in more pain than he was letting on. Suddenly, the bedside table was buzzing, startling them both. Oliver reached for his phone while Elio continued the nervous laughter that always followed being startled. Oliver looked at the screen for quite a while before Elio finally asked who it was. 

“See for yourself,” Oliver grumbled, handing Elio the phone. 

Elio took it, and he too looked at the screen for much longer than necessary. Much longer than it would take to read the three words on the screen. 

“It’s a text from your dad,” Elio confirmed. “He says he’d love to.” 

Oliver nodded. 

“I thought he said no when you called.” 

“I didn’t call him, Elio. I couldn’t bring myself to.”

A confused look crossed Elio’s face. “Then how?”

“Look above his message.”

Elio moved his eyes upward on the screen, scrolling with his finger. 

When he saw what Oliver was referring to, his eyes and mouth both widened into a shocked expression. “Oh no,” he groaned. 

“Ollie Perlman!” Oliver called while trying to both get up and rub his head at the same time. 

“Please don’t kill him,” Elio said. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elio and Oliver take a day off to find out what's wrong with Oliver's head, and preparations are made for Grandparents' Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is now complete. Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. This was a lot longer than I thought it would be!

“But it is an invitation! That’s what you’re supposed to do with invitations!” Ollie really didn’t see what the problem was. Oliver told him they would invite his father. So Ollie made an invitation. Ollie showed Elio and Oliver the invitation, and no one opposed it. But for some reason, actually extending the invitation was apparently bad. Ollie didn’t understand. 

After a very, _very,_ long talk which involved lots of explanations on all sides, they were frustrated. No one seemed able to understand anyone else’s side, which is always the most frustrating type of conversation to have. 

“Bottom line, Ollie, don’t use my phone again without asking me,” Oliver said with a tone of finality. He was tired of talking in circles with a seven-year-old. 

“Why don’t you just put a lock code on it then?” Ollie asked. Ollie knew immediately by the look Oliver gave him that he’d said something wrong again, but he didn’t know what. 

“Because I shouldn’t need a lock code on it when I’m at home with people I should be able to trust,” Oliver explained. 

Ollie sighed, clearly annoyed.

“You can go to your room, Ollie. We can talk more about this tomorrow if needed.” 

Ollie scowled at mean Oliver. Without moving his head, he flicked his eyes toward his brother to see if he would help, but he looked even angrier than Oliver. 

“Fine,” Ollie muttered. “But I did nothing wrong.” And with that, he turned and stomped to his room. 

Elio and Oliver looked at one another then, both clearly dismayed. 

“Want me to go tuck him in?” Elio asked. 

Oliver shook his head. “If you want, but I’m going to go in, too. In a few minutes. I don’t want him to think I’m mad at him.” 

Elio shrugged while raising his hands to shoulder height. “Well, you are mad though. To be fair.” 

Oliver closed his eyes, pressing his fingers into the tense muscles at the base of his skull. Elio stood and stepped around behind where Oliver was sitting, massaging the muscles there. Oliver closed his eyes. “It feels better when you do that,” Oliver said. Elio wished he could do it 24 hours a day if it would help. “I’m not mad at him,” Oliver added. 

“Hmmm,” Elio said. 

“Hmmm, what?” Oliver asked. 

Elio shrugged again. “It’s just that you seemed pretty mad. I’m sure Ollie thinks you are.” 

“I’ll talk to him,” Oliver muttered. 

And he did. By the time Elio and Oliver were finally in bed, things had mostly calmed down. Oliver tucked Ollie in for bed, and they had another talk. This one was much more cordial. Then Oliver had gone out to call his dad. When he came back in, Elio expected him to be upset, but he wasn’t. He seemed decidedly unruffled. 

“Well?” Elio asked. He was sitting on the sofa, on the end where Oliver usually sits, because Elio was using the arm of the sofa as a desk as he did his homework. He started gathering his things to slide over, but Oliver shook his head. 

“Stay there, Elio,” Oliver said as he took the spot beside Elio. Elio was still looking at him expectantly. “It went fine, I guess. He said he will be there Friday. I need to go by the school tomorrow and put him on the guest list.” 

Elio tried not to show how happy this made him, and he really wasn’t even certain why he felt so relieved by this. “Well, we are taking off tomorrow for your appointment, so it won’t be difficult stopping by the school. I can run if you want.” 

Oliver smiled and shook his head. “Are you kidding? No way. I’m a legal guardian now I can’t wait to go into that office and start throwing my weight around.” 

Elio snickered, and Oliver smiled at him. There was always one moment between them when things changed. They could be doing anything. Cooking, cleaning, reading, watching tv, arguing, playing a game… it could be anything at all really… and they would either look at each other or perhaps touch, the slightest brush of arms against each other… and in that moment, they would both feel everything change. Whatever task they were working on, or whatever they were doing together would fall away, completely unimportant and irrelevant. The only thing they were aware of in those moments was each other, and the only thing they felt was desire for the other, and the only thing there was to do about it was to go to bed. Sometimes they couldn’t, but tonight they could. 

The next morning, Ollie was sulky. “I don’t get why you two get to stay home, but I don’t!” his little arms were crossed angrily, so he could not push his hair out of his eyes. He settled for a head-flicking motion, but the hair didn’t move. Elio reached over with a finger to push the wayward waves back, but Ollie jerked his head away. “It’s not fair!” he added. 

“Ollie, we have appointments. Grown up stuff. You won’t be missing out on any fun, I assure you,” Elio tried again to explain, though he’d said the same thing several times. 

“I LOVE stuff that’s not fun, ELIO! I like it even more than fun stuff!!” 

Oliver intervened, “Okay, you can stay. We can finish our talk about you using my phone without my permission.” 

Ollie dropped his hands from their crossed position to his sides, letting them slap against his legs loudly. “FINE,” he groaned. And soon enough, he was on the bus. As soon as he took his seat beside Joey, he forgot all about being bested by Oliver. 

Surprisingly, Oliver woke up without a headache. But they’d both already arranged to stay home and had some important things to take care of. They first went by the school, where Oliver had his father’s name added to the guest list for the following day. Elio stood back and let Oliver handle it all, and it made Elio so happy to see Oliver so happy. Oliver had gone in prepared with the court papers, but they hadn’t even questioned him on it. Elio thought this may have disappointed Oliver just the slightest bit, but their mission was accomplished and there was no room for complaining. 

Next, they were off to the doctor to see about Oliver’s headaches. Elio was not sure whether he should go back with Oliver. They waited in the waiting room together for a long time, but when the nurse finally came and called for Oliver, Elio still hadn’t come to a conclusion about what he should do. What Oliver would want him to do. But Oliver, being Oliver, knew Elio was probably overthinking things, so he helped him out by saying, “Come back with me. I need an extra set of ears.” Elio felt so grateful in that moment. 

After a long consultation, Oliver’s doctor tried to put their minds at ease. “As painful as these headaches are, you don’t have any of the other symptoms that would indicate a more serious problem. Your reflexes are perfect, you’re not dizzy, have had no problems with your balance. Everything I’m seeing and hearing today points to these as possibly migraines or less likely, cluster headaches.” 

Oliver saw Elio’s entire body relax upon hearing the doctor's words. Though it was unlike him, he reached over and held Elio’s hand. He really did not know what he had done to deserve so much love. 

The doctor continued, “If you want to, just to set your mind at ease, we can do some imaging. But I would prefer to treat these with headache medication first. If we can’t control them with medication, then the next step is imaging and perhaps a consultation with a neurologist.”

“But why would he be having these all of a sudden?” Elio wanted to know. He had a secret worry. “Do you think… could it be… like… _stress?”_

Oliver squeezed Elio’s hand and shook his head gently. “Elio, no,” he mumbled. 

But Elio’s eyes were on the doctor, who smiled at him. “Of course, stress can cause many physical ailments, but the types of headaches that Oliver is describing aren’t typically related to stress,” the doctor explained, and Elio felt relieved for a second time. 

After a trip to the pharmacist, they were driving home with the new medication, which they both hoped would solve the situation. As he drove, Oliver remarked, “Elio, why do you think I’m stressed?”

Elio inspected his fingernails. “I don’t know. I mean, Ollie, I guess. He’s not easy.” 

Oliver’s response was immediate, “He is easy. So easy. A good kid and a joy.” 

Elio made a noise somewhere between a cough and a laugh. “I guess.” 

“Sounds like you’re the one who may need some mindfulness practice,” Oliver chuckled. “Should I sign you up for some yoga?” 

Elio blushed. “Maybe,” he replied.

When Ollie got home from school, he was so excited that he actually tripped running across the yard. Elio, who was waiting on the porch for him, walked towards him to help him, but he was already standing and running again before Elio made it down the porch steps. 

“ELIO ELIO ELIO ELIO,” Ollie was chattering when he finally crashed into his big brother with a hug. 

Elio laughed, ruffling his hair. “What’s got you so excited?” Elio asked, taking the little boy’s backpack and leading him into the house.

“You!! Because you’re usually not here when I come home!!” Ollie exclaimed. 

Oliver, who was standing nearby to remind Ollie to put his things away, smiled at Ollie’s excitement over seeing Elio. “You knew he would be home,” Oliver said cheerfully. 

“Yeah, I know!” Ollie said, wrapping one arm around Oliver, too. 

That evening, after dinner was eaten, and cleaned up from, after Ollie had his bath and had completed his homework… after everything was calm and quiet and the small family of three sat together listening to Elio read _Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief_ , there was a sudden banging on the door. Ollie and Elio both looked startled, perhaps even a bit worried. Oliver smiled at them reassuringly. “Calm down, guys. It's just the door,” he said as he stood. 

“Where are you going?” Ollie asked. 

Oliver placed his hand on the little boy’s head. “To get the door, of course.” 

Oliver went to answer the door, which wasn’t visible from the living room. Elio and Ollie perked up their ears, trying to listen for clues as to who it could be or what they could want. 

Finally, Oliver walked around the corner, looking pale, as if he’d seen a ghost. “I, uh… I want to introduce you to someone,” he said. His voice was flat with shock. Then someone appeared behind him, looking much like Oliver would probably look thirty years from now. He was tall like Oliver and shared his features. There was a roughness to him that Oliver did not share, and Elio couldn’t help but wonder what had caused that roughness. 

Ollie rose and walked toward the man immediately, and the two looked at one another, both with bent necks. “I know who you are,” Ollie said with awe in his voice.

The man nodded. “I know who you are, too, Ollie. I wanted to stop by and say hello to you. I wanted to reassure you,” he paused here, looking toward Elio, and then toward Oliver… because it was in fact them who the man wanted to reassure, “that I will be at your school for lunch tomorrow. I’ve disappointed many people when I was younger, but I won’t disappoint you now,” and his eyes were on one person when he spoke. Oliver nodded almost imperceptibly. But Elio saw it, and he wondered if they might be able to heal their relationship after all. 

They had a long chat that evening, and they let Ollie stay up past his bedtime to listen to Oliver’s father share stories about Oliver’s childhood. When the man switched to more modern stories, Ollie stood and went to hug Elio. Then he went to hug Oliver, too. Finally, he hugged the nice man who would come to his school to have lunch with him the next day. As he hugged him, the man said, “Are you going to bed?” 

Ollie nodded. “Yeah, it was nice to meet you, but I have to go to bed. It’s past my bedtime. And besides,” he looked at Elio playfully then, “I have a terrible Elio-ache.” 


End file.
